Chiropractic care can help cheerleaders through injuries

(NewsUSA) - It turns out that cheerleaders and football players have something in common you might not have guessed: concussions.

According to a new study in the Journal of Pediatrics that found cheerleading to be by far the most dangerous activity for female athletes -- accounting for 66 percent of their catastrophic sport injuries -- more than a third of girls who suffer a concussion don't even recognize the symptoms well enough to report it.

The research comes on the heels of numerous news stories in recent years alleging concussion-related brain injuries among pro football players. But unlike football, cheerleading isn't even officially recognized as a "sport" by most high school athletic associations -- a failure Dr. Jay Greenstein, CEO of Sport and Spine Rehab and the official team chiropractor for the Washington Redskins cheerleaders, for one, insists needs correcting. "We're at a critical juncture here," he says.

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Most of the injuries incurred in cheerleading are to those catching others thrown through the air. "Catastrophic" ones, regardless of the circumstances, result in shorter lifespans, permanent disability, or long-term medical conditions.

Given all the sport's stress to the body -- and the spine in particular -- experts increasingly view chiropractic care as an important part of their preventive and post-injury care.

"Chiropractic treatment and functional injury prevention programs can and will improve recovery times and maximize performance," says Dr. Greenstein, who's also a member of the not-for-profit Foundation for Chiropractic Progress.

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